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The Virtual High School Announces 2017 College Scholarship Winners

The VHS 10th Annual Scholarship Program Distributes $1000 to High School Seniors

Boston — June 12, 2017 — The Virtual High School (VHS, Inc.), a non-profit empowering schools with the industry’s most comprehensive online learning programs, today announced the winners of their 10th annual college scholarship program. One thousand dollars in scholarship funds were awarded to three VHS seniors in the states of New York and Massachusetts to use toward college expenses this fall.

Graduating senior Brittany Mazzi, from Chester Academy High School in Chester, New York, won the $500 first place award from the VHS 2017 scholarship program with her original video submission. Two other senior students –– Grace Cheng of Westborough High School (MA) and Erica Chin of Concord Carlisle Regional High School (MA) –– placed second and third, respectively, each winning $250 in scholarships for their original submissions.

The three winners of this year’s scholarship program showcased their personal VHS experiences creatively and stood out to the judges. The scholarship review committee evaluated the submissions based on their content, quality, creativity and relevance.

“Our 2017 winners really showed their creative talents in their submissions,” said Carol Ribeiro, President & CEO of VHS. “One common theme this year was collaborating and communicating online. Some might think given the use of technology in our modern world that such skills would come naturally, but social interaction and working together in an online classroom can be two very different things. We are so pleased that The Virtual High School helped these students develop important life skills in communication and collaboration, in addition to the valuable content knowledge they received from their chosen courses.”

In her video, first place winner Brittany Mazzi detailed her experiences with VHS online courses. Her first online course was Study Skills+. “The Virtual High School changed me by introducing a whole different style of learning to me,” she stated. “For my senior year, I’ve been using many of the techniques I’ve learned from Study Skills+. I learned how to organize my work, prepare for tests and other techniques that have helped me become more responsible.” Mazzi’s related how she also learned technology-related skills such as creating blogs and communicating with other students in a global online environment.

Second place winner Grace Cheng submitted an MP3 file of a song that she composed and performed. In it, she sings about her experience taking a VHS online physics course, from the topics covered to the support she received:

While Circuits gave her much despair,

Assessments were always quite fair.

Along with the work

Came VHS perks

Like teachers and classmates that care

Erica Chin earned the third-place scholarship with a slide show about her VHS course work in Personal Finance and AP® Computer Science A. Overall she appreciated the experience of interacting with students from different schools, states and even countries. She also stated that the knowledge she gained in Personal Finance on different types of student loans and how to calculate interest and create a budget will be extremely useful in college. AP® Computer Science A taught Erica how to work together and communicate with a partner solely through online interactions. “As someone who wants to go into business, this skill is applicable to the business world, where some partners or clients might be from other states, countries or even continents,” she wrote.

For the last 20 years, the VHS mission has been to provide middle and high school students with access to high-quality online and blended learning experiences while supporting educators with the professional development and services they need to provide effective education for every student. Schools that partner with VHS have access to a wide range of core, elective, credit recovery and AP® courses that inspire, ignite and deepen learning. VHS helps students develop independent learning skills, prepare for college and careers, earn credit, and engage with their peers in global classrooms.

About The Virtual High School

The Virtual High School (VHS, Inc.) is an online learning pioneer. Since 1996, the nonprofit organization has set the standard for quality online education. VHS provides courses taught in global online classrooms for secondary school students and online professional development for educators. The organization also meets the unique educational needs of schools through custom course development and individualized course offerings. VHS design and delivery standards are the model used by the National Education Association in their recommended standards for online learning. The organization has won numerous awards, including the Stockholm Challenge Award for Global Excellence in Information Technology, and is a three-time winner of the United States Distance Learning Association’s (USDLA) award for Excellence in Programming and Excellence in Best Practices. For more information, visit www.TheVirtualHighSchool.org or call (978) 897-1900.